


Angels in a Rainstorm

by 29PheonixLement



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Cursed Hyperion Heights (Once Upon a Time), Deaf Robin/Margot, F/F, Hearing Alice/Tilly, Hearing Impaired AU, Service Dogs, Social Anxiety
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:28:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23391730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/29PheonixLement/pseuds/29PheonixLement
Summary: I just want to preface this before you start this ficlit. I am a hearing person trying my hand at writing for a mostly nonhearing character. I may end up taking this down at some point but until I've really made up my mind I hope you enjoy it.Comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Relationships: Alice | Tilly & Wishverse Captain Hook | Detective Rogers, Alice | Tilly/Robin | Margot
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	1. Waiting

**Author's Note:**

> I just want to preface this before you start this ficlit. I am a hearing person trying my hand at writing for a mostly nonhearing character. I may end up taking this down at some point but until I've really made up my mind I hope you enjoy it.   
> Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Margot sighs under her breath when the waitress disappears after setting down her order. An order than they once again messed up. Not that the waitress would even understand her if she had stuck around for the blonde to explain the misinterpretation in her order.

They always did when Jacinda wasn't working behind the counter.

Just another example of how not everyone in Hyperion Heights understands even the basest of American sigh language.

She'd asked for a side of French fries with her meal.

They gave her onion rings.

Margot hates onion rings. She has been ever since that accident.

After all, maybe if she hadn't have had that damned craving for that little diner's particular way of making those damned deep-fried rings then maybe she wouldn't have been on that Hades forsaken bus that night.

The night that changed her life completely.

True Margot could have verbally given her food order if she'd really wanted to, but she preferred to sign her words rather than speak them.

Ever since the accident that as hard as she tried she just couldn't really remember being in had robbed her of nearly all of her hearing and leaving her with less movement in her legs than her original peak conditioned track start mobility Margot West had chosen to become more of an invisible wallflower rather than trying to continue being the center of attention life of the party as she had been before the accident.

With a defeated huff the blonde turns the volume down on her hearing aids while she pulls her hair down to cover them so people wouldn't openly stare at her like some sideshow curiosity as she pushes the little carboard holder of the devil's fried food as far away as her little table would allow then turns her attention to the parts of her lunch that the back kitchen had gotten right.

Fresh sliced apples and the simple roasted chicken and cheese sandwich as she dug in her backpack for her book.

Alice.

The one woman in her life save her aunt Roni who hadn't completely given up on her.

Her eyes flickering to her wrist to check the time and then over to the door with a hopeful expression the closer the seconds ticked by before she could catch a glimpse the angel that had chosen to grace this undeserving town with her presence.

it was Thursday after all.

Thursday meant her angel should be stopping by the corner deli Margot was currently sitting in for her usual order of marmalade sandwich for herself and a side order of a kid menu order of grilled chick strips for her constant furry companion her angel so lovingly called 'Locksley'.

Oh, how Margot envied that adorable white mutt of a dog for being able to pull such loving sounds from her angel lips.

She called Locksley a mutt only because she had yet to find all the possible combinations of breeds the pup could be beyond sharing some small part of Dalmation DNA considering the dusty spots of black peppering the dog's coat, but another glance suggested another part of a pug or some other of the cute but smushed faced breeds. In short Locksley seemed to be the closest living breathing equivalent of a mini Bandersnatch as the world traveler had ever had the pleasure of seeing in the real world.

it wasn't as if Margot had been stalking the other girl or anything because that would be weird.

No, she'd gotten extremely good at just so happening to be in the same places at just the right times when a certain wild-haired blonde with a liking for an oversized army green jacket and red checkered flannel shirts would come strolling in with that heart-melting smile on her lip and always accompanied by her loyal companion and Margot's unknowing rival for her angel's attention and affection.

Sad really when Margot had yet to even find the courage to go up and ask for the woman's actual name rather than just referring to her as her angel even after pining over her since she'd stepped foot back in the Heights.

Maybe today could be the day she finally would be able to learn that tantalizing bit of information.

Another quick glance at the clock on her wrist has Margot's heartbeat picking up just a little.

Three more seconds.

Her eyes flickered toward the door then back to her watch.

Two more seconds.

Margot's tongue flicked out to wet her dry lips her hand sliding up to the volume on her hearing aid making sure she would be ready to catch that oh so adorable question her angel would always ask

"Well, what do you think Lock, what sounds good today?"

The question would bring a lopsided grin from the dog at her side when Tilly would look at it (Margot didn't know if the pup was male or female) before the blue-eyed blonde would give up and end up ordering the same thing, she did every other Thursday.

"One orange marmite sandwich please oh and one small number seven grilled from the kiddy menu."

Margot smiles at the voice in her mind one she was going to get to hear in real life in just a few more seconds as she forced her eyes away from openly gaping at the door as soon as her angel walked in.

Beside Alice was just about to get to the tea party with the hare and the hatter. She didn't want her to be late.

One more second.

Just as she'd expected the door opened right one time.

Margot's eyes flicker up so she could watch the door under her lashes. Which would have been alright she guessed if only the woman she'd been waiting for the last seven minutes would have been the one to walk through the door.

She hadn't.

Margot frowns at the door then looks again at the watch on her wrist even shaking it a few times to be sure it wasn't somehow broken. Instead, she pulls out her phone to check the time. Yeap it was the right time.

Margot stashes her phone back into her jacket pocket her eyes once again going toward the door when it opened again.

Again, the waiting woman's shoulders dropped in defeat when the newcomer wasn't the one, she'd been so obediently waiting to see.

Where were they?

"By the gods its really coming down out there." one of the other customers one sitting closer toward the window commented just loud enough for Margot to catch as the man shakes some of the water from his hair.

Raining huh? Maybe they'd just gotten caught out in it?

Yeah, that had to be it.

That comforting thought alone was enough to get her breathing a little easier even if it did also bring the light dusting of a blush to her cheeks at the thought of her angel all wet from the rain. Those blonde waves Margot loved from affair dampened down as her angel hurries down the sideway maybe with that oversized army coat she never seemed without pulled up over her head as a poor shield.

It's only the shifting bulk of movement in her peripheral vision and the screeching scrape of the metal chair across from her own across the floor that keeps the distracted traveler from following those thoughts.

A wave of the unmistakable scent of wet dog clogged her nose as she started while her lunch companion shifted until they were sitting like actually properly sitting on the chair across from her own sending the surprised woman a cute panting grin when they seemed to realized she was looking at them.

Locksley.

No sooner than the name flashed across her mind did she hear it called out aloud.

"Locksley?! Come on lass, get back here."

Locksley flinches so does Margot.

That voice didn't belong to that of her angel as the body it did belong to jogged around the corner and into the diner side of the little store, they were all either sitting or standing it.

"Come on Lock. Let the lady eat in peace. Honestly."

Margot laughed along with him while the dog in question seemed to dig in her paws not budging from her seat as her current human companion stepped closer to the table.

Detective Rogers. A friend of her angel's and quite possibly the cutest and sweetest officer on the force in all of the Hyperion Heights police force.

Margot had spotted him a time or fourteen hanging around her angel at the Troll statue under the bridge close to Roni's bar down the block. It was sweet. That father-daughter relationship the two had forged between them in the short time they'd know one another.

Again, Margot wasn't stalking them.

She just happened to work at the bar down the block and from time to time during her breaks she'd stretch her legs with a walk down to the statue and back. It just so happened that while she did so always seems to catch sight of her favorite blonde-haired beauty sitting on the arm of that curious stone creature under the bridge. Seeming to be so at ease as her eyes scanned over what seemed to be her entire domain from her stoney throne of the crook of the troll's arm that at times that she even permitted Margot a glimpse of her most favored sight in the world besides Tilly's mere presence in it

One of the ocean eyed woman's heart-stopping smiles.

God she was beautiful when she did that. Granted she would always be beautiful to Margot. An open sketchbook or chessboard set on in front of her or at times neither one considering the few times Margot spotted her curious angel playing with a Rubik's Cube with all the stickers already peeled off.

Also, under the bridge was right where Margot's preferred snack truck liked to park so it was a win-win.

She got to see the woman she was majorly crushing on drift in a world all her own as the bartender waited in line and the Rollin' Bayou got another few dollars of Margot's paycheck.

"I'm sorry about this."

Margot smiles but that soon turns to panic when she spots her angel's pet sniffing around her forgotten side order of onion rings.

Those are lethal to dogs.

Her angel would never forgive her if she let something happen to the cute pup sitting across from her. Hell, Margot would never forgive herself.

"Locksley no."

It's not just Margot and the pup that look toward the scolding tone but Rogers as well. "Tilly you shouldn't be out in your condition." The detective sighs

Tilly.

Finally, Margot had a real name for the walking goddess in their midst. Although she still prefers the title of her angel.

"I sprained my knee while rock climbing Rogers." Tilly sighed as she makes her way over to them. "Besides I've already told you I'm fine." She adds leaning more than a little harder than normal on the crutch tucked under her arm as she shifted her weight onto her uninjured side. Why she seemed to be so flustered was a mystery for another time.

One where Margot's mind wasn't spiraling from just now learning about this newest adventure her angel had been on. Since when did her angel go rock climbing? Margot hadn't thought she liked that activity outside of expertly scaling the concrete arm of the cities favored troll time and time again.

"No, you tore your ACL while chasing down a suspect you had no right in pursuing in the first place." The cop corrects dropping his voice as he looks around to check if anyone was listening in. They weren't but now Margot was more than a little impressed with the courage of her blonde-haired angel.

"Hey, I helped catch the guy, didn't I?" Tilly grumbles rounding on the detective while she not so smoothly steals a few of the fries Margot had yet to polish off from her late lunch while the bartender herself make sure to trade out the holder on the onion rings yet to move from there place in front of Locksley for the remains of her sandwich the longer the others talked.

Turns out she wasn't as hungry as she'd thought after hearing about her angel's accident then seeing the results for herself so up close.

"Because I'm trying to keep you safe Tils." Rogers confesses his voice low and strained as his eyes hold Tilly's "You're not just my roommate aright your more like an actual daughter to me now and how the hells am I supposed to keep you safe if you don't stay in the car when I ask you to?"

Locksley had hopped down from her chair leaving it open for Rogers to take as she trots over to Margot side still licking the last of the chicken from her lips as she nudges her head under the blonde's hand wanting attention.

Margot was happy to give it to her. At first, she'd been completely intimidated by the sheer muscled size of the mixed breed but as she'd watched her over the last month or so she'd gotten a good dose of that 'never judge a book' medicine. Locksley was a complete teddy bear to everyone she deemed trustworthy. Her list being made off of those Tilly seemed to be alright with having around so the circle was rather small, but it had been enough to prove Margot wrong about first impressions. Now it seemed to have grown by one.

A point that Margot was going to celebrate for as long was she was allowed.

She was sitting at a table in the middle of a rainstorm next to her angel and her cute cop surrogate father.

For now, at least her life was perfect even including stinky puppy breath from Locksley's kisses.


	2. Chapter 2

Breathing is important, yet it was difficult to remember much of anything let alone something as simple as breathing when she was allowed to be so close to well to – ** _her._**

Her muse above all other muses.

The sole subject of the increasing number of sketches covering the walls of the small bedroom Roger was allowing her to use as her own back at their shared apartment.

Her quiet angel.

 _‘Breath Tilly.’_ She coaxes allowing another lingering glance. She shouldn’t be staring. Her muse hated when people stared at her. She would think it was because of the hearing aids currently hidden by the other woman’s honey locks but really it was just because Tilly found her so utterly captivating.

Locksley nudges her shoulder against Tilly’s good knee breaking the artist’s gaze and allowing her to take a much-needed breath before her vision cuts out on her.

“Even a ESA needs a break every once and a while.” Tilly explains noticing how green eyes follow the move as the mutt takes her place beside Tilly’s chair. She tries to keep her tone light once she noticed the way her quiet angels hand had slipped behind her ear to turn up the volume on her hearing aids “don’t tell Rogers I told on him but sometimes his anxiety is worse than mine so Lock here has her work cut out watching over both of us.” Locksley’s head doesn’t waver from its resting place against her lap as Tilly’s fingers scratch behind the dog’s ear as she talks.

“My friend Weaver picked her out for me I think…I don’t rightly remember much….it seems like she’s always been with me you know?” the soft question earning a shy smile from the woman beside her and an affectionate lick to the back of her hand from her best fur-covered friend. “She helps keep the darkness away when the medication those rat doctors gave me doesn’t quite work.” She goes on a little nervous now as she opens up but thankfully her muse doesn’t seem to mind as she leans in closer honest curiosity in her forest grey eyes.

Those delicate lips part as if she wanted to say something but then is slides closed as that intriguing gaze lifts to a point over Tilly’s shoulder.

“I was trying to ask if you wanted anything else besides your normal order.”

Tilly’s heart melted at the kind words. Oh, detective Rogers, always so considerate. Tilly’s eyes flicker toward her muse and back to his as she nodes still twisting Locksley’s fur between her fingers. She knew the other woman to be this small town equal of a champion lip reader but seeing as she was currently studying the texture of the table top like it was the most interesting thing in the world Tilly felt safe in showing just how much she’d picked up from her time ‘muse watching’ the other woman around the town. “Yeah tell those jerks in the kitchen they messed up her order.”

“She hates onion rings.” She explains pushing the little holder of the deep-fried food toward her roommate at his raised eyebrow look. “Downright detests them actually, but it’s just so cute cause then she pulls that adorable unhappy face she makes whenever someone offers them.” Tilly smiles lost in thought that she doesn’t catch her muses surprised expression as her eyes stay trained on the talking woman’s face behind her hair.

Rogers notices thought but he covers with a kind smile. “Just like someone else I know.” The officer jokes while Tilly rolls her eyes as he takes the holder. “So,‘’ he pauses casting a glance toward the quieter of the two blondes at the table for confirmation seeing as Tilly was too lost in her own head to answer him triggering Locksley to sit up straighter in her attempt to comfort the injured woman. “Fries?”

Margot nodes in agreement with a shy _“Thank you.”_ Using sign. Rogers shrugs in reply sending her a playful wink and a mouthed ‘no problem’ before he leaves. Margot understand thought considering that sign is a bit more challenging with the use of only one real hand.

A light tap on her shoulder has her looking over into the mesmerizing blue that has yet to fail in making her heart flip in her chest.

_“Napkin please?”_

Her sign was stiff at best and from the cute upset look on her face she was struggling over it but Margot smiles at the effort she was making.

 _“I’m Margot.”_ She signed back after passing over the asked for bit of paper with a shy smile.

Tilly’s head tilted a little making Margot’s breathing more difficult. God help her she was so cute. _“Targo?”_ she signed back puzzled.

Margot shakes her head but understands the confusion. The ‘M’ and the ‘T’ are a little too similar for those still new to learning sign. _“Other end.’_ She corrects with a kind smile showing each letter a second time. _M-A-R-G-O-T_

 _“T-I-L-L-Y,”_ the ocean eyed woman answers going slowly just to be sure she signed each letter correctly before holding out her hand for a friendly shake.

Margot swears she feels a static warmth running up her arm the second her hand closes around the other woman’s.

“We have a problem.”

Margot didn’t miss the way Locksley seemed to angel herself between the two chairs while still keeping primarily with Tilly as Rogers rejoined them with an annoyed set to his stubbled jaw. Nor the way the detective’s real hand rested against the dog’s back causing the hard set of his shoulders to relax a fraction.

Tilly’s hand tightened in Margot’s own but didn’t slip away as her annoyed “What now?” as her free hand stroked at the fur between her serves dog’s ears. “You can talk in front of her. Weaver trusts her and she’s only been back in town a little while.” The blue-eyed blonde defends at Rogers sideways looks toward her muse.

Locksley nuzzles her head against Tilly’s stomach with a low calming purr at the show of anger.

“Seems the man you chased down was one of Scat Cat’s boys.”

Margot shuddered as she lip-read the name. The Scat Cat O’Malley gang had been slowly making a name for themselves in town over the last few months. Mostly petty stuff like vandalizing buildings if what Margot had read was anything to go by, but she didn’t like the idea of her angel being mixed up in that sort of life.

Tilly was just to sweet and caring to be running around with those kinds of shady influences.

“---and I were in the system together Rogers. One point he was the closest to family I had before he aged out.” She heard her angel comment while Tilly’s fingers toyed with the hand she was still holding as she examined a few of the many bracelets adorning Margot’s wrist and her free hand continued to rub therapeutically against Locksley’s scruff the dog now half draped a crossed her lap with her head nuzzled under Tilly’s chin.

Apparently, her gasp of surprise wasn’t as soft as she’d thought as three pairs of eyes fall on her. Lucky for her she covered the slip by gesturing toward the grumpy-looking server carrying a tray of freshly made French fries as well as Tilly and Locksley’s usual lunch order toward the table.

“You don’t seem to understand Tils. From what Weaver’s network has found out some of the newer members of the O’Malley gang have been whispering about a payback attack.” Rogers continues in a lower tone that Margot can barely catch over the sounds of her own racing heartbeat pounding in her ears at the threat to her angel. “It’s a wonder you were able to make it here in one piece given how much talk they’ve picked up.”

Tilly scoffs at that leaning back in her chair a little with only a mild wince in discomfort when the move pulled at the healing wounds to her ribs and her leg. “Tom Cat would never allow anyone in his gang no matter their ranking to hurt me.” She assures them already feeding bits of chicken to the pup still resting her head against the blonde’s lap. “Besides it’s not like I’m completely defenseless. I know how to protect myself and I have Lock _and_ the apartment has it own securities.” She lists off gratefully accepting a few fries Margot offered.

“Come stay with me.”

It’s only Locksley’s weight against her lap that keep Tilly’s chair from falling backward in her surprise at the soft-spoken suggestion coming from the lips of her green-eyed angle. She’s caught snips of her muse’s voice before in her observations but never anything beyond a few words and none of them as sweetly spoken as the ones she’d just heard.

Margot soon changed back to sign but soon had to stop because her hands were shaking too much to form her words.

“A kind offer but even Roni’s scary reputation wouldn’t throw off---”

Margot shakes her head casting a glance around as she leans in closer “Bar is too risky.” She reminds remembering fondly how often she’d catch that wild mane of blonde hair sitting at the end of the bar watching her thought her lashes while she worked. “Have an apartment from before I went away.”

Tilly’s heartbeat kicked up as she catches on to the idea her muse was proposing. Even Lockley’s tail was thumping rather happily against the leg of her chair as her roommate and her muse put their heads together to work out a plan.

In a single afternoon, she went from quietly fawning over her muse to getting to maybe spend a prolonged length of time with her.

Maybe being the target of a misplaced revenge attack wasn’t so bad after all.


End file.
